August 2021 Parenta magazine

12 important life lessons
9. To use positive traits as a
superpower
to teach children
When I became a parent, I knew that I wanted to help my children as much as I could to use each
and every challenge they faced as a lesson, to see each failure as a stepping-stone to success
and to know their worth so that from a young age they learned to love, accept and believe in
themselves in a way that many of us struggle to do.
I started writing and illustrating stories when my first baby was just 4 months old and as time went by, I realised how powerful
books could be to not only teach children about different moral concepts but to also plant positive seeds in their minds that can
then contribute to their inner beliefs and values.
As a former teacher, I know how important a child’s early years are, and because of this I wanted to do everything I could to support my
children to cope with their emotions, to believe in themselves, and to be the best that they could be. Knowing how powerful stories are
and how much children absorb the key messages, I decided to create storybooks to help them through different developmental stages
and to teach them values that will help them to step into their brilliance and to most importantly, be happy in their own skin.
Here are the 12 key messages of the Memory Box Collection storybooks
that I think will help every child to thrive:
1. Most of the things that we
worry about never happen
How many times have we felt anxious
about situations and played them up in
our minds to then realise that we had
nothing to fear in the first place? In a
child’s early years, their imagination is
developing, which gives them the capacity
to anticipate bad things happening. It is
important for us to acknowledge children’s
worries and to show them that although
we understand how they feel, that
everything will be okay.
2. Things don’t have to be
perfect to be brilliant
Many of us struggle with perfectionism
and often our self-worth can take a hit
when we get things wrong. Things are
rarely perfect because we live in an
imperfect world and trying to live up to this
standard is exhausting. How many people
are held back from their brilliance because
they wait for perfection before they take
the leap into something new? We need
to teach children that there’s beauty
in imperfection, to enjoy the imperfect
journey that is life, and to take each flaw
as a lesson leading us to greatness.
3. To talk about feelings
Sadness, anger, and frustration need to
be accepted and normalised. We all have
moments when we feel this way, yet as a
society, we tend to struggle to see these
emotions in ourselves and others. It’s not
the anger, sadness, or frustration that is
the problem, it’s how we manage them
that contributes to the outcome. How
many times have we bottled something
up and then taken it out on someone
who doesn’t deserve it? We need to teach
children that it’s okay to feel this way,
but that by talking about our feelings we
dilute the intensity and give ourselves the
opportunity to work through them without
unintentionally hurting anyone else.
4. It’s okay to ask for help
So many people don’t like asking for help
because they don’t like to be seen to have
weaknesses. However, the truth is that we
all have different abilities and can achieve
so much more when we pull together.
How many times have we struggled
alone and stayed stuck or in pain, rather
than asking for help? We need to teach
children that it’s okay to ask for help if they
need it and that they never need to isolate
themselves in a problem and feel alone.
5. That we all have our
unique strengths and shine
in our own way
How many times do we compare
ourselves to others? The problem with
this is that we are all completely different
and shine in our own way. In the words
of Albert Einstein ‘If we judge a fish by its
ability to climb a tree, it will live it’s whole
life thinking it is stupid’. We need to teach
children that it’s okay to not be good at
everything and to focus on and harness
their own unique strengths.
6. To keep trying when things
get tough
Quite often, the feeling of wanting to quit
comes right before a big breakthrough. The
reason not everyone reaches huge success
is because they give up when things get
too much. What they don’t realise is that
brilliance lies just around the corner from
an overwhelming challenge. How many
times in life have we quit because we
haven’t seen the results we want? We need
to teach children that failure is a steppingstone
to success and that resistance brings
opportunities to learn and grow.
7. To accept differences in
themselves and others
Every single one of us is unique and our
differences make us who we are, yet so
many people struggle to accept themselves
and strive to fit into a false ‘norm’ created
by a society driven by perfection. How
many people struggle to accept themselves
fully or subconsciously judge others for
being different in some way? We need to
teach children to see the beauty in their
differences and to accept themselves (and
others) for who they are. The world would
be a kinder place if we all saw greatness in
uniqueness.
8. To believe in themselves
The actions of others can have a huge
impact on us and can often affect how
we feel about ourselves. How many of us
have had the wind knocked out of us by
someone we care about or have allowed
someone else’s opinion to make us doubt
ourselves? We need to teach children that
their actions do impact others and that as
much as other people can impact them
too, their own confidence and self-belief
will always give them the strength to
overcome it.
Politeness, kindness, honesty, patience,
and positivity cost nothing. Can you
imagine a world where everybody had
these attributes? We need to teach children
that these simple traits can have a huge
impact on the world around us and the
people in it.
10. Gratitude and appreciation
In this fast-paced, digital world that we live
in, it can be easy to forget to appreciate
the small things in life. How many people
search for happiness in external, material
objects? We need to teach children that
happiness comes from within and to be
grateful for the simple things. In times of
darkness, there are always things to be
grateful for if we look for them. If children
are taught to look for these things from a
young age, they will be more able to see a
light in dark times when they are older.
11. That the word ‘sorry’
means nothing if we don’t
change our actions
How many of us know someone who
always says ‘sorry’, but then does the same
actions repeatedly? We need to teach
children that ‘sorry’ is a meaningless word if
our actions don’t change.
12. To be brave and to try new
things
Our brilliance is rarely found inside of our
comfort zone. Trying new things can be
scary. However, it can also lead to amazing
opportunities and experiences. How many
people have held themselves back through
fear of the unknown? We need to teach
children to be brave and to try new things
because in the words of Jack Canfield
“Everything you want is on the other side
of fear”.
Stacey Kelly
Stacey Kelly is a former French and
Spanish teacher, a parent to 2 beautiful
babies and the founder of Early Years
Story Box. After becoming a mum, Stacey
left her teaching career and started
writing and illustrating storybooks to help
support her children through different
transitional stages like leaving nursery
and starting school. Seeing the positive
impact of her books on her children’s
emotional wellbeing led to Early Years
Story Box being born. Stacey has now
created 35 storybooks, all inspired by her
own children, to help teach different life
lessons and to prepare children for their
next steps. She has an exclusive collection
for childcare settings that are gifted on
special occasions like first/last days,
birthdays, Christmas and/or Easter and
has recently launched a new collection
for parents too. Her mission is to support
as many children as she can through
storytime and to give childcare settings
an affordable and special gifting solution
that truly makes a difference.
Email: stacey@earlyyearsstorybox.com or
Telephone: 07765785595
Website: www.earlyyearsstorybox.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
earlyyearsstorybox
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/
eystorybox
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
earlyyearsstorybox
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/
stacey-kelly-a84534b2/
16 August 2021 | parenta.com
parenta.com | August 2021 17